Neo-Noir

Conventions of Neo-Noir

Neo-Noir uses certain elements of Film Noir but with updated style, themes and content as Film Noir was created in the 1940’s/50’s, whereas Neo-Noirs are made outside of the Film Noir period. But unlike Film Noir Neo-Noir usually is filmed in coloured instead of black and white, for example Chinatown. It is film in colour but still includes many techniques of film noir such as big cities, costume, crime and the use of props.

Both Sin City and The Black Dahlia include jazz music at the beginning of the opening scenes as this helps set the time era of about 1940’s when film noir was first created. Both of these films use a very important element of film noir which is to be set in big cities, because most cities have big buildings of office to make a person or people to seem insignificant or unimportant, also big cities have side streets and alleys because this is where secrets and lies are kept.

Both of these films start with deception or lies. In Sin City she is lead to believe that the man loves her but in fact he was actually assigned to kill her. The Black Dahlia starts with a man voice over on the radio, and he is saying that the police department has the city under control when they clearly haven’t. I think lies and deception are critical in film noir or neo noir as this how all the crimes start and the beginning of how everything goes wrong.
Another thing these two scenes below have in common is that they are both set at night time as it represents mystery, sadness and danger. But the difference between the shots below is that there is a lot happening in That Black Dahlia unlike in the opening of Sin City because there are only two characters. I think having more characters and a lot happening makes the scene more action like and rushed which isn’t an element of film noir but is used in neo noir.




In film noir and a lot of neo noirs venetian blinds are used a lot. The main character of a noir film is usually a detective or journalist so they have there own office and the blinds gives a feel for this. But also the blinds represent that they are trying to keep the goodness out of the room as they are discussing dark, deficient things. Also the black and white shadows onto their face which shows that the characters have a good and evil side to them.


These shots are both different from each other but both can be used in film noir or neo noir. The shot of the below is from Double Indemnity, the uses of shadows are really effective in neo noir. This shows you that this character has an evil side even though the film hasn’t introduced him yet. Whereas the left shot from The Black Dahlia it shows you that the three men near the window are good, as the high contrast light is shining through the window on them, also all of their suits have an element of white which represents goodness.





It is a very film noir technique for the characters to be wearing suits and this has been carried through into neo noir. The only thing similar in these shots is that both of the main characters are in black which represent that they are dark characters. Both of the main characters from Double Indemnity and The Black Dahlia are both wearing a hat which is very noir. A hat makes the character seem bigger and higher up therefore they have a higher status.
Overall film noir and neo noir are very similar and use some of the same and different techniques but are both genres of film.